Fastener assembly for attaching a cover to a panel

A fastener assembly for attaching a cover to a panel, said fastener assembly comprising:

• a stud assembly mounted on the cover, said stud assembly including
• a stud extending through an opening formed in the cover, said stud having a shank portion which extends through the opening in the cover, a head portion provided on an upper end of the shank portion, and a cross pin provided on a lower end of the shank portion,
• a grommet secured to said cover within the opening of the cover, said grommet defining an opening for receiving the shank portion of the stud therethrough, said head portion and cross pin of the stud preventing the axial removal the stud from the opening of the grommet, and
• a spring engageable at its lower end with the grommet and at its upper end with the head portion of the stud, said spring biasing the head portion of the stud away from the cover;
• and
• a receptacle assembly including
• a receptacle barrel having a cylindrical wall defining an opening of the barrel, said barrel being mounted on an inner surface of the panel, said cylindrical wall having an interior surface with female threads formed thereon,
• an insert having a cylindrical body defining a bore of the insert, said insert having an exterior surface with male threads formed thereon, and a cam formation formed on the lower end of the insert, said bore receiving the shank portion and cross pin of the stud therethrough when releasably attaching the stud assembly to the receptacle assembly wherein the cross pin engages the cam formation of the insert for axially locking the stud to the insert, and
• a helix fabricated from wire-like material, said helix having alternating large and small diameter loops extending along the length of the helix, said helix being disposed between the insert and the barrel for threadably engaging the female threads of the receptacle barrel and the male threads of the insert for preventing the axial movement of the insert with respect to the barrel.

A fastener assembly for attaching a cover to a panel, said fastener assembly comprising:

• a stud assembly mounted on the cover, said stud assembly including a stud extending through an opening formed in the cover, said stud having a shank portion which extends through the opening in the cover and means for securing the stud to the cover in a position where the stud is biased upwardly from the cover;
• a receptacle assembly including a receptacle barrel having a cylindrical wall defining an opening of the barrel, said barrel being mounted on an inner surface of the panel, said cylindrical wall having an interior surface with female threads formed thereon, an insert having a cylindrical body defining a bore of the insert, said insert having an exterior surface with male threads formed thereon, and a helix fabricated from wire-like material, said helix having a diamond-shaped cross section which defines, for each coil of the helix, opposite, pointed side edges which are received within grooves constituting the female threads of the barrel and the male threads of the insert, said helix being disposed between the insert and the barrel for threadably engaging the female threads of the receptacle barrel and the male threads of the insert for preventing the axial movement of the insert with respect to the barrel;
• and
• means for releasably attaching the stud to the insert when releasably attaching the stud assembly to the receptacle assembly.